dewy lewis

Alpha had practically forgotten that she'd applied it. Bustling back and forth (but never too much) behind the counter of the coffee house serving irregular customers (but never too many) left her little time just to sit there and chew her own lip.

Not that android lips were very worthwhile to chew on anyway. They were only communication devices, meant to transmit a message.

They were the same for humans, Alpha supposed, but humans didn't feel your lips as you spoke to them. And Kokone was very dutiful as she delivered the message exactly as it had been recorded to her.

Well, of course. It should be a clinical experience. There were many other things to enjoy along the coast. Not just coffee, but fishing and playing the gekkin, watching the antics of the spinning wind fish, flying kites and taking walks.

There were no worries here. There were hardly any people. To spend so much time indulging in the passing of a message would be antithetical to that simplicity.

Wouldn't it? Or, then again, since there was so much free time...

Kokone's eyes were bright just as they always were when she came to Alpha this day. Sparkling, a delicate green so natural beneath the pink of her hair just as Alpha's gray eyes shone with a muted gratitude at all times despite her sometimes-frantic attitude.

The same as always: hands loosely held, tongue gently displayed.

This time, however, Kokone's lips glistened as well. Alpha put an absentminded hand - just the tips of two fingers - to her own chin.

"Oh! Are you wearing lip gloss as well?"

Kokone nodded, warm and unsurprised by Alpha's sudden curiosity. "Another more human touch. I'm just trying it for the day."

Would it interfere with the transmission? Alpha thought perhaps it might, but she didn't say so. It was easier just to find out. Rather, she wanted to find out.

That slightest smear of shimmering oil, two lonely girls meeting face to face.

What pleasant business.